Various forms of manually operable devices heretofore have been provided for opening claims and oysters and include base portions relative to which wedge supporting lever arms are pivotally mounted. However, although these previously known devices are operative to open clams and oysters, for various reasons they are not as effective as they might be in performing the functions for which they have been specifically designed. Accordingly, a need exists for an improved oyster or clam opener of the manually actuatable type. Examples of oyster and clam openers including some of the general structural and operational features of the instant invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 34,495, 189,966, 210,032, 2,000,075 and 2,747,220.